19!

It is October 19th and there are 19 days left until Ironman Florida–a race I have waited for 3 years to conquer. It’s getting real people!!! I did my last long ride yesterday (which was my first century ride outside of a race!) It was a windy day out there on River Road and there were a couple of times I questioned my sanity. I never really wanted to quit–just wanted to take a break a lot more often than was really necessary. I have been thinking a lot about how people change lately…and doing some research on it. Some things that I have experiences in my journey as a triathlete including how I started all the way thru yesterday’s ride have clear explanations in research and theory, I get so jazzed when I find these connections–ways that my life between 8 to 4:30 connect to the rest of my endeavors!

There’s this smart professor that works at Stanford that has done research on the very thing that I have seen in my small piece of the world. His name is Albert Bandura and he says that we learn things from watching those around us model behaviors and the subsequent reactions to those behaviors. Might seem like common sense right? I think most of the truly brilliant theories are, but that’s for another day. In my journey to the Ironman, I was on the outside of the triathlete community looking in for a long time. I volunteered at races, knew a lot of people who did triathlons, and tolled the local club message board. I watched what they were doing and saw the positive results in relationships, healthy living, and pride in a sense of accomplishment. As a result, I took the leap and started doing these things myself. And now, I see it as part of my mission to make sure that others know they can do it, too. I had two friends join me for separate sections of my 100 mile ride yesterday and I was so excited, because I wanted to make sure they know that this is something they can and will (if they want to) do in the future, too.

Racing in triathlon can be seen as such a selfish act, because we spend lots of time focused on this goals of getting faster and going farther…but I really believe that that by setting these big goals and sharing them with those in our circles of influence we are actually drawing more people in. Big dreams are contagious!

As you may or may not know, part of my journey to the finish line in Ironman Florida took a very long detour when they discovered a large tumor in my femur. I am once again looking for folks to join me as I support Emory Medical School and their research on bone tumors. Any amount that you can give is much appreciated and will be tax deductible. Click the following link and you will be directed to the online giving website where the fund is already designated (David Monson, M.D. Research and Education Fund): http://bit.ly/tumorresearch.

And because I know we all love pics of Annie, here’s one of my recent favs for your enjoyment.